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hi my friends, i want to buy my first jazz guitar aside my 2 fender telecaster.
i read a lot of gibson 335 and ibanez as200. i focused also a heritage 555 as an alternative.
i have to drive about 300 to 600 km to check one of those guitars, so i want to ask you,what do you think i should prefer.
i like the scofield sound with this little rat distortion.
budget about 3500€.
maybe you can help me with this desicion.
some facts?!
H555 good sound, also the newest models.
335 older models sound good but new customshop too?
AS200 only the early 80's sounds good
are these facts correct?
thx michael
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04-01-2012 03:19 AM
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Hi Michael,
I use Ibanez as-200/1982/-really great guitar like hand made instrument.
With good fret work it is like a dream guitar.
Scof use the same model but from 1981.
If you play with effects/chorus,ditortion,etc/ it is fantastic.
The best Japan semi-hollow in the history.You can find it in USA for about $ 2000.Last edited by kris; 04-01-2012 at 03:33 AM.
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Well I'd say that Ibanez is the safest anyway. Their quality control was the best ever during the early 80's. But that in itself is not reason to go that route. It is a good argument for your first guitar, as you are asking, because it sets a very high standard by which you may eventually want to make a judgement at some point in the future.
Keep in mind that there is what everyone else loves and there is what inspires you to play your best. I had a friend who recently borrowed my AS200 and he loved it, but for him it played "almost too perfectly" meaning that for what he played, he liked the dialogue of playing to bring out the strengths and weaknesses of a guitar, as a dialogue. I say this because choice of instrument is getting to know yourself and then finding the instrument that gives you best access to your propensities.
For those that have the luxury of trying different instruments out, trade shows, vintage market, guitar stores, etc. there is a huge difference between an AS200 and a good 335; not a better/worse difference, but a difference in feel, or vibe. The 335 has a mahogany neck. Rosewood fingerboard. It's warm. It's got a ring to it. It's woody and it can have a deep resonance that invites you to play. I've played 335's that I couldn't put down-save for the fact they belonged to a student! But I've also worked on great feeling 335's that had unforgivable neck twists to them (Scofield's own 335 is such a beast) and there's only one way you're going to find the "glove that fits your hand."
Of the Heritage I won't speak. I have not found one I felt magic from.
' hope this gives you some idea from which to begin your search.
One note for the sake of honesty, that AS200 I have (and lent) had Duncan pickups in it, because for my ear they give that instrument a Gibson type clarity and warmth I didn't get from the super 58. But that's my hand and that's the glove that fit it. Mods are not to be done for any other reason but the search for your compatibility with your own musicality.
David
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I believe that you are making the same mistakes, that will lead you to the same over load of information that usually confuses the hell out of people looking to buy their first (insert type of guitar here) guitar. I now will speak as someone other than a Heritage affiliate and lover.
If you try out a Heritage guitar that happens to be head and shoulders above any Gibson or Ibanez you might try out . . . then, you were fortunate to try a good Heritage against a couple of bad examples of the other brands. I could flip that statement around with each of the 3 guitars. There are GREAT Gibson ES 335s out there, as there are GREAT Heritage H535s and H555s . . . just as there are GREAT Ibanez AS200s.
You are soliciting advice from people who just might base their responses on a very good experience with one of those 3 guitar . . . and also might base their responses on a very bad experience with one of those 3 guitars. Regardless of which of those 3 you choose to buy, if you get a good one, you'll be very pleased. If you get a bad one . . . you'll swear you made a mistake and should have bought one of the other two guitars.
Sorry . . . but, that's not the way it works!! A good guitar is a good guitar regardless of what it says on the head stock. Just as a turd is a turd. Stop torturing yourself with the fear of making a mistake. You said this will be your first jazz guitar. I doubt it will be your last. All three models you are targeting are very similar. If I was in your position, I would buy the one in the best condition . . . . then form my own opinions on future guitars.
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>>> regardless of what it says on the head stock. Just as a turd is a turd
Like those "lawsuit" turds. The "Turd" name was not used, but the shape,...
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my advice is to play as many as you can and make your decision...
do not buy one just because your favorite player plays one...
everyone "feels" the neck differently..and "hears" the sound differently..
it's what feel right to you and sounds right to you..
years of playing will develop your feel as well as your ear...
I have played hundreds of guitars in my lifetime..all the big names and some not so big...
I presently play a 1977 Ibanez 2355 (ES-175)...quality...sound...feel...and all the rest...I bought it in 1978...the original owner was a rocker and didn't like the sound..
I have been playing jazz mostly since 1965...single string ..chord melody...Wes octave...styles and they all work well for me....
No pedals..just straight through a 1985 Polytone Mini Brute II...014 Thomastic flatwound...medium action (less percussive sound)...smooth sounding..
Thats my 2 cents worth..
time on the instrument...pierre
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I can not find 014 Thomastic Flatwound in the shop...:-(
Originally Posted by pierre richard
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Wrong shop..? You should be able to order Thomastik GB114 George Benson sets with no great problem, I would hope..? Originally Posted by kris
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If this is your first jazz guitar, then buy the cheapest one among the three you are looking at. That way, you will lose less money when you inevitably sell it to upgrade down the line.
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That's a good rule of thumb as is the statement made on this thread about 'lucking' into a great Gibson vs the other two and being able to say the same about any one of the three brands. You have roughly $5k to spend and that's not going to get you a quality, vintage Gibson 335, especially in Europe. 335's range in price up to $25k and the more recently made ones, while more affordable, may vary in quality/tone/feel. Heritage is always under valued for some reason and is a great bang for the buck for an American made guitar - as is the Collings I-35 @ $6k. The Ibanez I hear sold good things about, which tells me that as a build it's very consistent - as are Yamahas. You can buy Epiphone re-issue Riviera's and change the pickups AND harness, maybe a bone nut and spend less than the Ibanez, depending on availability. You have a lot of options. The lower you go the more apt you will be eventually to trade up. Don't overlook Hoyer - my '64 Custom Shop holds its own against mid '60's 335's Originally Posted by coolvinny
Last edited by Gillman Royce; 04-01-2012 at 02:50 PM.
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Sure...GB sets no problem.ops...thanks Originally Posted by Dad3353
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today i've tried the 355 and a 137-c ... first i like the sound of the 137 more thand the 355, its more jazzy sound.... the 355 has more this rock blues sound... in my opinion... next week i will try the heritage h555:-)
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137-c: do you mean Classic or Custom? They have differenty fretboard and pickups, plus varitone on the Custom Originally Posted by JazzHifi
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...well, I guess you mean classic
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the guitar has a dark fretboard with gold pickups .. price about 1900 Euros
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You can find used much cheaper.
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Classic has rosewood fretboard, which is usually dark Originally Posted by JazzHifi
Custom has ebony fretboard, which is also dark, usually darker than rosewood.
The classic has a "C" at the 12th fret.
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Pickups are 490R 498T for the Classic, same pickup of some Les Paul and SG
Custom has " 57 Classic" pickup.
Hope you don't get confused with the word Classic, in one case referring to the guitar, in the other to the pickup, which actually is on the Custom model
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I've owned all three brands. I enjoyed all of them...some more than others.
I had two Ibanez guitars - a 335 style that I never particularly cared for and a 575 style that I enjoyed for a long time. I've owned an L-5 and a Gibson made Epiphone Howard Roberts model. The HR in particular was a stellar guitar.
I've owned 4 Heritages, an H-575, an H-137, a Sweet 16 and a Prospect and currently own the latter two. The Prospect is by far the guitar that I have played the most, is actually showing pickguard wear, metal oxidation and some dulling and fading of the finish where my arm crossed the upper bout.
I only sold the 575 and the 137 because they no longer met my playing needs at the time, I have two other guitars (Fenders) and don't collect pieces that don't get played. My Sweet 16 needed a LOT of tweaking to get it right, but I've played other peoples' Sweet 16s that were amazing right out of the box.
Guitars are cranky beasts, and the only way you'll ever know that you have the ONE is when you play it for a while.
The thrill of the chase etc.
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my friends, i travelled about 900 miles.. but now i got it :-)
Tested a heritage, an ibanez and a gibson...
my first jazz-guitar is a gibson 355..... i love it :-)
i did some quick recording; clean sound, just with reverb; Fender DeluxeR
(sorry for not so sophisticated improvisation; i´m a rookie on jazz)Last edited by JazzHifi; 10-06-2012 at 02:19 PM.
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It's a beautiful guitar.
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nice clean sound...good sustain. Originally Posted by JazzHifi
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good choice!....my first jazz-guitar is a gibson 355..... i love it
and then,you can play whatever you like, with it!
not only Jazz stuff....
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Congratulations. Can't go wrong with that choice. Originally Posted by JazzHifi
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